. >>> the girlfriend was fake, the heartbreak was real, that's what manti te'o is saying as he begins his very public campaign to repair his image and future career in the nfl. the notre dame star says he was a victim of a hoax but admits he continued with the story of his girlfriend dying even after learning she never actually existed. >> my story, i felt, was a guy who in times of hardship and in times of trial really held strong to his faith, held strong to his family and i felt that that was my story. >> even if that hardship was perhaps exaggerated? >> no, it was what i went through was real, you know, the feelings, the pain, the sorrow, that was all real. >> cnn's george howell is here with more of what te'o is expected to say later today. >> this is interesting, isn't it? >> it is. it's like a train wreck and you can't stop watching it. >> so many twists and turns, so many different characters. so here's what we've got. it's confusing but here's what we've got, a relationship between two people online who basically never met. te'o insists he had every reason to believe that his